Parking timing meter



NOV. 29, 1955 5 WQQD PARKING TIMING METER Filed Jan. 2, 1951 3nventor (Ittorneg United States Patent PARKING TIlVflNG METER Strand K. Wood, Hutchinson, Kans.

Application January 2, 1951, Serial No. 203,880

1 Claim. (Cl. 194-9) This invention relates to parking timing meters and has for its general object to produce an improvement over that shown in Patent No. 2,095,114, issued October 5, 1937, relating to zero set mechanism, and in my copending application for patent Serial No. 127,091, filed November 14, 1949, now PatentNo. 2,535,472 relating to delayed action swing bar magnet for tripping or firing the circuit. In the present case a pair of inductive coils are set in the street in the parking stall.

One of the objects of the invention is to provide a construction in which the movement of the automobile from the parking stall, zero sets the meter so that another car driver cannot enjoy the benefit of unelapsed parking time that may be left on the meter by a previous occupant.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a construction in which additional time cannot be secured by dropping additional coins. In other words, if the device is intended to provide only one hour parking time, as the result of, say, the deposit of a piece, or five pennies, or other coins, the meter will signal a violation and it will be possible to wipe out or cancel the violation only by movement of the car from the parking stall. This will prevent an individual from monopolizing a parking stall by intermittent deposit of coins throughout a parking day.

With the general objects named in view and others as will hereinafter appear, the invention consists in certain novel and useful features of construction and organization of parts as hereinafter described and claimed; and in order that it may be fully understood, reference is to be had to the accompanying drawing, in which: the device is illustrated largely in diagrammatic form.

In the said drawing, where like reference characters identify corresponding parts, 1 and 2 respectively indicate the generating or operating and the holding coils which are preferably recessed in the street within each parking stall. trolled by a switch 1a actuated by a holding relay 1b in a circuit controlled by a master switch hereinafter described. The coils are wired to fire an electronic tube 3 under conditions hereinafter described. Connected in circuit with tube 3 is a relay 4 and its switch 5, the switch normally standing open under the pull of spring 6.

The parts are so electrically balanced that when the coil 1 is energized with a car standing in the stall, its magnetic field is distorted so that coil 2 does not pick up to an extent sufi'icient to fire the tube 3. However, if the coil 1 is energized and a car is removed from the stall, the coil 2 is actuated because of the removal of the mass of the car, the tube 3 is fired and current will flow to energize relay 4 and close the switch 5.

Mounted within the meter head (not shown in detail as its exact construction is immaterial), is any suitable parking timing mechanism and violation signal when the device is standing at zero set. In the structure as shown 7 is a rotatable shaft which may be driven by any suitable timing mechanism when it is measuring or counting off a time interval, and this shaft may be rotated by hand The generating coil 1 is energized by a line conice or otherwise to return it to initial or standing position by the commencement of another time interval. When the signal 8 moved by. shaft 7 is in full line position, the clock mechanism has been set and a time interval is in process of measurement. During this time interval the signal is being movement toward the dotted line or zero set position to indicate expenditure of the time interval.

The parts are shown in full lines in the position they occupy when a car is in the parking stall, the weight of a coin C in the coin tube 9 holding a master control switch 10 in closed position to energize the system. The control mechanism 1-6 is thus ready to close switch 5 upon removal of the car from the parking stall.

The coin C remains in position as shown as long as the car is in the stall. When the car is removed from the stall, stop solenoid core 11 is withdrawn against the reaction of its spring 13 through energization of its coil 12 as a result of closing switch 5. Momentarily thereafter the coin drops away and opens master control switch 10, which deenergizes the entire system so that no stand-by current is required.

In order to prevent the deposit of coins to secure timed parking exceeding the maximum for one car, a coin ejection gate 14 is mounted in the coin tube 9, said gate normally being held in alinement with the chute 9 by its spring 15, but being moved and held in full line position by a solenoid coil 16 wired in parallel with the master control switch 10. Thus the first coin deposited will remain in place and any additional coins that may be deposited in the coin tube will be deflected or discharged until the car is removed from the stall as described above.

When the clock mechanism has moved the signal to zero set or violation position it will at the same time move the solenoid core 17 into the tube 9, through the rack bar 18 engaged with the rack wheel 19 on the shaft 7. When no car is in the stall a coin must be deposited in the chute 9 and comes to rest on the stop rod or solenoid core 17 thus releasing the clock mechanism so that it may be Wound or tripped so that the signal 8 can be returned from zero set (dotted position) to starting position (full lines). The release mechanism for the clock may be of that type shown in my Patent No. 2,535,472, issued December 26, 1950.

If the car should vacate the stall prior to expiration of paid for time, the nickel or other coins, will fall away because of the closing of the switch 5 which energizes coil 20 which moves solenoid core 17 to zero set or cancel out any unexpired parking interval. The other coils are then actuated as above described to release the coin and open master control switch 10.

From the above description it will be apparent that I have produced a mechanism embodying all of the features of advantage set forth as desirable, and while I have described and illustrated the preferred embodiment, it is to be understood that I reserve the right to all changes within the spirit and scope of the appended claims.

I claim:

In a parking timing meter for vehicle stalls, the combination of a source of power and electrical connections, electronic means actuated by the mass of a vehicle to zero set the meter upon removal of a vehicle from a parking stall, said meter comprising in combination a timing device manually set to timing position when unlocked by a coin, a spring advanced electrically retracted solenoid core for retaining a coin in operative position, a master control switch held closed by said coin, a coin rejection gate ahead of the master switch position, a spring for normally holding the gate open, a solenoid actuated by the closing of the master switch to close the gate against the passage of a coin to master switch position, a solenoid coil to zero set the meter, and a relay operated switch closed by the electgonic means to concurrently energize the zero set and coin-holding solenoids and to deenergize the gate solenoid when a vehicle moves from the parking stall.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,950,741 Neiti Mar. 13, 1934 4 Woodward Aug. 28, 1934 Castor Feb. 11, 1941 Johns Aug. 5, 1941 Thompson Jan. 8, 1946 Robinson Dec. 27, 1949 Wood Dec. 26, 1950 

